Angling access (or lack thereof)

I know from where Southwick Associates speaks.

The most recent Southwick and Associate's AnglersSurvey.com report shows that 23 percent of anglers said they had lost due to closure at least one honey hole in the past three years.

That figures compares to the 25 percent of anglers who reported the same thing in January 2008.

Even so, 56 percent of the fishermen said they still fished at least as often as they did before, "presumably at other spots that remain open to them," reported Southwick, an outdoors industry consulting firm.

Not quite one year ago my two older brothers and I lost our favorite deer hunting location through no fault of our own. The landowner got upset with some other folks who could hunt the land and we just got caught up in the vortex.

But along with the loss of the hunting land I also lost fishing access to a really fabulous several-acre farm pond that was chock-full of nice largemouth bass and large bluegills.

Even so - like Southwick's survey shows - I still fish at the same level. But I switched to my primary farm pond.

Still, it remains unnerving to lose a good fishing spot not matter what the reason.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com